The poll released Friday shows the former Stamford mayor leading the former U.S. ambassador to Ireland 49 to 42 percent among likely voters. The last Quinnipiac poll on Sept. 29 showed Malloy with a 45 to 42 percent lead, which was within the margin of error.

Quinnipiac Poll Director Doug Schwartz says the support of women is making the difference for Malloy, who leads Foley 55 to 35 percent among women surveyed.

The poll of nearly 1,120 likely voters taken Oct. 7 to 11 has a sampling margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.